LEADING WELL
a christ-centered community of curious leaders
a christ-centered community
of curious leaders
November 14-17, 2023
a community that's focuseD on living and LEADing WELL
sabbath rest
- Give yourself permission to rest and be renewed.
- Set better boundaries; learn to say no nicely.
- Create new rituals and rhymes of renewal.
- Remember whose you are.
practical learning
- Crowdsource with other leaders.
- Participate in year-round Master Classes.
- Access videos, blogs, and articles on demand.
- Gain insights and ideas at Learning Retreats.
collegial support
- Connect online on Leading Well Facebook Group.
- Meet via Zoom for Abiding Together gatherings.
- Connect with coaches and spiritual directors.
- Offer and receive prayer from caring colleagues.
intentional transFORMATION
- Create an annual leadership formation plan.
- Navigate next steps with a certified coach.
- Learn steps for reinventing life and ministries.
- Develop new norms to sustain ongoing change.
Leading Well Learning Retreats
Our four-day training experience for pastors, deacons, and church leaders offers a unique blend of practical skill development along with worship, retreat, and sharing of best practices.
Leading Well can help leaders:
- Improve staff and volunteer management
- Think through strategy and staffing challenges in congregations
- Deepen your sense of call, worship, retreat, and collegial support
Outcomes
- Refine your capacity to work effectively with staff and volunteers.
- Explore your gifts, strengths and values, and their implications for leadership
- Practice what it means for you to live and lead well.
- Learn ways to interpret your ministry context.
- Take time for worship, prayer, rest, and fellowship.

Cost and What is Included
Individual Rates include program tuition and vary based on room occupancy, if you stay onsite, and if you are a Siebert Grant recipient.
On-site housing includes 9 full meals, 3 night’s lodging, and hospitality. On-site meals and hospitality are also included in the Commuter rate.
Double Occupancy – $925 per person
Single Occupancy – $1075 per person
Commuter – $700 per person
SIEBERT GRANT (Double) – No charge
SIEBERT GRANT (Single) – $200
Non-participating Spouse – $525
Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center hosts our AZ retreat each November. Between programming, participants can hike, explore the outdoor labyrinth, or soak in the pool or hot tub.
Event Schedule
Day one - Tuesday
- Becoming a healing community
- Learning the rhythm of ceasing
- Naming intentions for the week
Day Two - Wednesday
- Rest as resistance
- Longings and losses
- Naming competing commitments
Day three - Thursday
- Becoming a place of healing
- Spiritual growth and communal listening
- Living the priesthood of all believers
Day four- friday
- Naming tools for the journey together (crowdsourcing)
- Designing your leadership plan
- Blessing in our baptismal call

About Leading Well
Living well and leading well go hand-in-hand.
Leading Well is a “learning retreat” open to all types of church leaders.
It is for anyone who works with paid staff or volunteers in the context of a church. This includes those who are newly called to leading in ministry and those who wish to sharpen their skills. Pastors, Discipleship Coordinators, Deacons, Youth Directors, Children’s Ministry leaders, Worship leaders, Judicatory leaders, program staff, and anyone else who feels the call to follow Christ through service in the Church are all welcome.
Our events are a unique blend of practical learning and sabbath rest, with a focus on the leader as a whole person. Presentations cover everything from technological tools for ministry to leveraging conflict as an opportunity for growth.
Our facilitators understand they are more than presenters; they are the stewards of the event. The wisdom shared at the event will come from their prepared materials and much comes from YOU – the leaders who attend, each bringing your own gifts and diverse experiences. Many of our past participants have commented that their greatest “takeaways” came from synthesizing the content with fellow colleagues who also attended!
Each participant leaves the event with a “Leadership Formation Plan” tailored to their context, gifts, and present needs.

KEY OUTCOMES
- Join a community of curious leaders to learn, reflect and reinvent.
- Create a vision and plans for living and leading well for this year.
- List norms in your life and ministries that help or hinder your plans.
- Learn about available resources to support you and your ministries.